Festival attendance to drop in 2013 due to cost, weather and overcrowding

Survey shows attendance at summer festivals to decline even further next year

Festival attendance is expected to drop for the summer of 2013, according to a recent survey.

Figures were down throughout 2012, with the report, carried out by YouGov SixthSense, predicting further bad news for festival organisers in the next 12 months.

The findings show just under a fifth (19 per cent) of the UK festival-goers surveyed – those who have attended at least one music festival in the past – plan on going to a music festival in 2013, while more than half say they won’t be going at all in 2013.

Many of those surveyed gave over-crowding and too much queuing as reasons for keeping away, while of those not planning to attend a festival at all in 2013, 35 per cent say they’re too expensive, 18 per cent are put off by poor weather and muddy fields, while almost a quarter say they’re planning to take a holiday abroad instead of attending a music festival.

A separate live music report by YouGov explored the habits and preferences of UK gig-goers. The study found that just over half of UK adults who have been to a live music event say the recession has had no impact on the number of live music events they attend. However, around 25 per cent of those surveyed said they go to fewer gigs as a result of economic struggles, with around the same number spending less money on tickets by choosing to attend cheaper live events.

Commenting on the findings YouGov SixthSense Research Director James McCoy said: “Our study suggests there is declining interest in attending music festivals that tend to span more than one day. Part of this is due to people having less money to spend, but many of the festival-goers we surveyed were turned off by poor weather and long queues.”

He adds: “In contrast, our research indicates that a majority of those who attend live music concerts are not put off by the recession, and will continue going to gigs in 2013. This could be down to the fact that a single gig is much less of a commitment, both in terms of time and money, than going to a festival.”